- Graduate Admission
- Graduate Study
- Graduate & Professional Programs
- USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development
USC School of Policy, Planning and Development
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development (SPPD) educates and trains leaders who create multidisciplinary approaches to the challenging and complex issues of governing, managing and building contemporary urban communities. The school encourages innovation, experimentation and collaboration, fostering a multidisciplinary and problem-solving ethic.
At the master’s degree level, the school’s programs in Public Policy, Public Administration, Planning, Real Estate Development and Health Administration combine theory and practice, focusing broadly on the issues, constituencies, institutions and physical structures that constitute the public realm. The doctoral programs enable a select group of students to work closely with faculty on vital areas of scholarly inquiry.
Most of the school’s research is conducted through its prominent centers and institutes, including the Institute for Civic Enterprise; the Center for Health Financing, Policy and Management; and the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute—the nation's premier Latino think tank. Los Angeles and the greater Southern California region are utilized as a living laboratory in which the lessons of the classroom can be put into practice. Click here for links to all 10 SPPD research centers.
Graduate degree programs:
- Master of Planning (M.P.L.)
- Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.)
- Master of Planning/Master of Public Administration (dual degree)
- Master of Planning/Master of Real Estate Development (dual degree)
- Master of Public Policy (ranked seventh nationwide by U.S. News & World Report)
- Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.)
- Executive Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.) (for clinical and management professionals)
- Master of Real Estate Development (M.R.E.D.) (a study of the three main elements in real estate development: design, finance and policy)
- Master of International Public Policy and Management (I.P.P.A.M.) (for mid-career professionals working in government and social sectors)
- Ph.D., Policy, Planning, and Development (prepares student for university-level teaching and research positions)
- Doctor of Planning and Development Studies (D.P.D.S.) (prepares student for senior management and professional leadership roles in planning and development)
Dual degrees offered jointly by SPPD and other USC schools and departments:
- Master of Planning/Master of Architecture (with USC School of Architecture)
- Master of Planning/Master of Landscape Architecture (with USC School of Architecture)
- Master of Planning/Master of Public Art Studies (with USC Roski School of Fine Arts)
- Master of Planning/M.B.A. (with USC Marshall School of Business)
- Master of Planning/M.A., Economics
- Master of Planning/M.S., Gerontology
- Master of Planning/M.A., International Relations
- Master of Planning/Master of Social Work (with USC School of Social Work)
- Master of Construction Management (with Department of Civil Engineering, USC School of Engineering)
- Master of Health Administration/M.S., Gerontology (with USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology)
- Master of Public Administration, M.S., Gerontology
- Master of Public Administration, M.A. International Relations (with USC School of International Relations)
- Master of Public Administration, M.A. Jewish Communal Services (with Hebrew Union College)
- Master of Public Administration/J.D. (with USC Gould Law School)
- Master of Public Administration/Master of Social Work (with USC School of Social Work)
- Master of Public Policy/J.D.
- Master of Real Estate Development/M.B.A. (with USC Marshall School of Business)
- Master of Real Estate Development/J.D. (with USC Gould Law School)
- Master of Long Term Care Administration (distance learning; joint project with USC Marshall School of Business and USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology)
